THE MERCHANT MARINE

The merchant marine is a non-military fleet of privately owned merchant ships which provides waterborne transportation for raw material, products and passengers.

The merchant navy, which came to existence as soon as men were able to build a ship that could float and carry people and cargo, is a non-military fleet of privately owned merchant ships which provide waterborne transportation for raw material, products and passenger moving in domestic and international commerce and encompasses a broad variety of activities. It is inherently a vast intermodal transportation industry entwined with the political and economical aspects of trade and foreign policy.

The merchant navy is the backbone of international trade, carrying cargo and passengers across the world, without which much of the national and international import-export business would stop.

This particular industry requires managerial skills in both finance and logistic to administer, and comprises a large spectrum of technology from the basic infrastructure of materials and energy to the most advanced and sophisticated control and communication systems, equipments and procedures.

It consists of a very large variety of ships that employ a huge number of highly skilled, resourceful and disciplined professionals, which must be properly accredited and licensed, general workers and entry-level personnel, depending on the world business conditions and improvements in ship technology, to operate and maintain the ships. There are, thus, many career options available for people who have become interested in the maritime employment.

Besides, the maritime industry incorporates a reservoir of natural resources that is a fertile area for education and research in the ocean sciences.